A response from Crest (Proctor & Gamble)

Here is a response from Crest I received in response to comments I submitted to them about microbeads (polyethylene) in their toothpaste products:

Hi Melanie! Thank you for contacting Crest.

We appreciate your interest in our products. In regards to your question, nothing matters more to us than the well-being of our consumers around the world who use our toothpastes. We want to assure you that our products are safe. Our products and their ingredients undergo rigorous safety evaluations before going to market.  And once in market, we continually monitor their safety.  The colored polyethylene (PE) specks used in our oral care products are safe, FDA approved food additives. They are used in chewing gums and are commonly used in toothpastes. P&G and other toothpaste manufacturers use limited amounts of small colored polyethylene specs in some toothpaste.  Polyethylene beads are commonly used as scrub beads (e.g. in exfoliating products) but are also sometimes used to give color, like in chewing gum and toothpaste. There is no evidence from clinical studies or from on-going monitoring to indicate that these particles persist underneath the gum line or cause harm. We've already begun the process of identifying alternatives for use in our toothpaste and the PE specks will be replaced as soon as alternatives are qualified.  In addition, we have decided not to introduce microplastic beads into any new product category. 

I hope this information is helpful to you, once again thank you for taking the time to write!

Krissia

Crest Team